And Agrippa said to Paulos, You are permitted to speak on behalf of yourself. Then Paulos stretched out his hand and made defense, saying:

Concerning all that I am accused of by the Yehudaye, king Agrippa, I count myself blessed that before you today I make defense,

especially as I know that you are expert in all the controversies and the law of the Yehudaye. Because of this I ask of you that with patience you hear me.

For even those Yehudaye know, if they wish to testify, my way of life from my youth, which was mine from the beginning among my people and in Urishlim,

because from long ago they have been persuaded about me and know that in the foremost teaching of the Pharisees I lived.

And now for the hope of the promise that was made to our fathers by Elohim I stand and am judged.

To this hope the twelve tribes hope to arrive with earnest prayer by day and by night, and for this hope I am accused by the Jews, king Agrippa.

Why do you judge? Is it not right that we believe that Elohim raises the dead?

For I from the first set in my mind that I would do many opposing things against the name of Y'shua the Natsraya.

This I also did in Urishlim, and many holy ones I cast into prison by the authority I received from the chief priests, and when they were being killed I took part with those who condemned them.

And in every assembly I was torturing them while I was forcing them to blaspheme the name of Y'shua, and being filled with much rage against them I also went out to other cities to persecute them.

And while I was going for this to Darmasuq with the authority and permission of the chief priests,

In the middle of the day, on the road, I saw, O king, from heaven a light brighter than the sun shining on me and on all who were with me.

And we all fell on the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, Shaul, Shaul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.¹

And I said, Who are you, my Master? And our Master said to me, I am Y'shua the Natsraya, whom you are persecuting.

And he said to me, Stand on your feet, for this is why I have appeared to you: to appoint you a minister and a witness of what you have seen of me and of what you will see of me.

And I will deliver you from the people of the Yehudaye and from the other peoples to whom I am sending you,

to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the authority of Satana to Elohim, and may receive forgiveness of sins and a portion with the holy ones by the faith that is in me.

For this reason, king Agrippa, I did not stand rebelliously against the heavenly vision.

but I proclaimed from the first to those in Darmasuq and to those in Urishlim and in all the villages of Yehuda, and also to the peoples I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to Elohim and do works worthy of repentance.

And on account of these things the Jews seized me in the temple and wanted to kill me.

But Elohim has helped me until this day, and I stand and testify to the small and to the great, saying nothing outside of Moshe and the prophets except those things which they said were going to happen:

namely, that the Mashiyach would suffer and would be the first fruits of the rising from among the dead, and that he would proclaim light to the people and to the peoples.

And when Paulos had thus gone forth in spirit, Festus cried out with a loud voice: Paulos, you are mad! Much learning has made you mad.

Paulos said, I am not insane, excellent Festus, but I speak words of truth and uprightness.

And king Agrippa also knows especially about these things, and because of this I speak openly before him, for I do not suppose that any one of these words is hidden from him, since they were not done in secret.

Do you believe the prophets, king Agrippa? I know that you believe.

Agrippa said to him, In a little you persuade me to become a Christian.

And Paulos said, I was wishing from Elohim, in little and in much, not only you but also all who hear me today, that they would be like me, apart from these bonds.

And the king rose, and the governor, and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them.

And when they had gone out from there, they were speaking one with another and saying, This man has done nothing worthy of death or of bonds.

And Agrippa said to Festus, This man could have been released if he had not called on Caesar.